I would have to agree triggers in drum tracks and over dubbed vocals and guitars i mean 2-3 layers are not bad for a harmony or melody but damn some musicians get crazy with it. Programmed drums and poor mixing and mastering quality really piss me off especially when the bands have the instruments recording tools you know be it software or studio time and equipment and it comes out sounding awful. The worst absolute worst thing is when you have a good sound system and you can hear the click track and metro in the final cut.

King to me has never released a bad album there was a bit of concern when i heard The Eye i was like wait that is a drum machine were all doomed !!! but when King clarified the situation i could breathe easy again. I myself have a digital kit and can tell you even a modern one high end sounds way too consistent at points but they are convienent

Stay Heavy

« Last Edit: November 19, 2016, 05:15:50 pm by Shadowswhisper »

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The road to hell is paved with good intentions...would explain why i am so nice !

Well, I for one always enjoyed me some Egyptian darkness in my metal. First scale I learned after the pentatonic. HAHA.

And, Balor, you don't like histrionic vocals? Did you not check what forum you stumbled upon?

There are tons of things bands in general (and sometimes KD in particular) need to stop doing:

1. Stop producing your own albums. Writing songs and recording songs, is not the same as knowing what's best for the song or the sound. An outside professional perspective, from somebody who is not a yes-man, often brings MORE out of the artist, and makes the artist think and operate outside their comfort zone. King Diamond's first four albums, with an executive producer, far outshine the last few that have been produced "in-house". Some artists are control-freaks, and need to be in charge of everything, and that is how you end up with no bass on "Justice for all", or static drum patterns on "Give me your soul". Letting go is not a bad thing.

2. Stop the one man show. Let the musicians do their jobs and contribute to the song. A lot of one man shows choke the artistic expressions out of the other band members. Matt Thompson can drum in circles around most metal drummers, but you would never know from listening to the last few albums. Any dive bar metal drummer could play that boring generic crap. Same thing with the guitars. Let Andy and Mike re-write some of the riffs King comes up with. The rhythm guitars of late have been uninspiring and, again, generic.

3. Stop the over-compressed brick-walling. Thank god KD has not fallen into this trap, but more often than not do I find modern metal releases to be absolutely unlistenable due to the horrid production. Ghost's last two releases are abominations. What a shame, and so easy to STOP doing.

4. Stop the layers and layers of vocals and guitars. Somebody said it; the insane amount of layers to vocals and guitars drive me nuts as well. Most metal bands layer a riff twice, or even three times, when they record - to add some fat, but some do it better than others. If you can't play along with yourself when recording, muddying up the sound, you probably shouldn't. And if you need to add seven layers to your guitar melodies; buy a harmonizer (Steve Vai) or just STOP! In KD's music, layered vocals were mostly AWESOME - because he would layer a whisper with a growl and a falsetto - and then go all guns blazing in some choruses to make it like a choir of reverberated demons. Part of the "histrionics", I guess. HAHA. Then he got all "organic", and just lays down the one vocal track for the most part.

5. Stop it with the bonus tracks. Either add the song, or not. B-side to a single; OK. Bonus track; just stop it. The era of the cassette tape ended a million years ago.

6. Stop it with the duets with a female singer who all sound like Floor Jansen. Actually, make this number 1.

7. Stop it with the songs clocking in over 10 minutes. You can't buy a 10+ min track by itself on iTunes, and instead you have to buy the whole fucking useless album to get ONE song you like (thanks, Symphony X).

#1. Making lists of things that bore/annoy me about metal. #2. People that talk about diversity in anything, while at the same time saying "Stop doing it that way and do it my way!"#3. Making lists of things that bore/annoy me about metal.

Also, the fact that metal fans tend to take themselves so freaking seriously. "Let's be different and open-minded by wearing black T-shirts and listening only to distorted guitars". Talk about identity and originality! Being different by looking all the same and being open-minded by rejecting everything non-metal!

Any metal band(s).....(metallica) and others playing with an actual orchestra! That is a metal sin beyond the pits of hell lol! Serious....... It is so fucking terrible that I shouldn't have to even post this!

Also, the fact that metal fans tend to take themselves so freaking seriously. "Let's be different and open-minded by wearing black T-shirts and listening only to distorted guitars". Talk about identity and originality! Being different by looking all the same and being open-minded by rejecting everything non-metal!

I don't take myself seriously, but I sure as hell take metal seriously. There is a difference.

Well, I for one always enjoyed me some Egyptian darkness in my metal. First scale I learned after the pentatonic. HAHA.

And, Balor, you don't like histrionic vocals? Did you not check what forum you stumbled upon?

There are tons of things bands in general (and sometimes KD in particular) need to stop doing:

1. Stop producing your own albums. Writing songs and recording songs, is not the same as knowing what's best for the song or the sound. An outside professional perspective, from somebody who is not a yes-man, often brings MORE out of the artist, and makes the artist think and operate outside their comfort zone. King Diamond's first four albums, with an executive producer, far outshine the last few that have been produced "in-house". Some artists are control-freaks, and need to be in charge of everything, and that is how you end up with no bass on "Justice for all", or static drum patterns on "Give me your soul". Letting go is not a bad thing.

2. Stop the one man show. Let the musicians do their jobs and contribute to the song. A lot of one man shows choke the artistic expressions out of the other band members. Matt Thompson can drum in circles around most metal drummers, but you would never know from listening to the last few albums. Any dive bar metal drummer could play that boring generic crap. Same thing with the guitars. Let Andy and Mike re-write some of the riffs King comes up with. The rhythm guitars of late have been uninspiring and, again, generic.

3. Stop the over-compressed brick-walling. Thank god KD has not fallen into this trap, but more often than not do I find modern metal releases to be absolutely unlistenable due to the horrid production. Ghost's last two releases are abominations. What a shame, and so easy to STOP doing.

4. Stop the layers and layers of vocals and guitars. Somebody said it; the insane amount of layers to vocals and guitars drive me nuts as well. Most metal bands layer a riff twice, or even three times, when they record - to add some fat, but some do it better than others. If you can't play along with yourself when recording, muddying up the sound, you probably shouldn't. And if you need to add seven layers to your guitar melodies; buy a harmonizer (Steve Vai) or just STOP! In KD's music, layered vocals were mostly AWESOME - because he would layer a whisper with a growl and a falsetto - and then go all guns blazing in some choruses to make it like a choir of reverberated demons. Part of the "histrionics", I guess. HAHA. Then he got all "organic", and just lays down the one vocal track for the most part.

5. Stop it with the bonus tracks. Either add the song, or not. B-side to a single; OK. Bonus track; just stop it. The era of the cassette tape ended a million years ago.

6. Stop it with the duets with a female singer who all sound like Floor Jansen. Actually, make this number 1.

7. Stop it with the songs clocking in over 10 minutes. You can't buy a 10+ min track by itself on iTunes, and instead you have to buy the whole fucking useless album to get ONE song you like (thanks, Symphony X).

8. Stop it with the "Greatest Hits" Who buys that shit?

1. This one I agree with the most. Artists that take matters into their own hands usually end up with a not-so-good-sounding-album. The best example I can come up with would be when Blackie Lawless began to produce WASP-albums. Still good music, but the sound...I can understand it from the artists perspective though, you save A LOT of money by producing it yourself. These days bands haven't got endless funds from labels to back up months and months in a studio. This has also happened with King Diamond, so they have to make the best of it, and that is to use Andys studio and produce it themselves. You can't really blame bands for trying to make ends meet, you know. But yes, it is a shame it has to be that way.

2. Can't really argue a lot with this statement as well. But then again, we are not a part of the process of making King Diamond-albums. What do we know about Andy and Mike not giving input into the songs? Yes, the 80'-records show a lot more air and dynamics in the sound, but is that due to the actual era it was recorded in or the fact that King Diamond himself now is a lot more strict?

3. A terrible trend of late. It can be easily heard on the latest Ghost-albums, which I still think it great, but could be a lot better with less compressed production. I really don't see the benefit.

4. Never had a problem with this in King Diamond or Mercyful Fate. If there are layers, it only makes the song better.

5. Unfortunately, there are WAY too little bonus-stuff in general when it comes to King Diamond and Mercyful Fate. The last real bonus was "Shrine" during the Abigail-recording, and the "S.H." instrumental on the Japanese version of 9. A great bonus for me would be if the King Diamond-band filmed some stuff here and there during the recording of a new album, like a small documentary.

6. Not a problem in King Diamond. Gives the story depth. And Livia sounds great.

7. I can agree with this one. Some bands tend to go on and on with their songs. But then again, it all depends on the genre they are playing.

8. Greatest Hits is a thing that still tends to be released by labels, even to this day, and we are almost in the year 2018. I cannot fathom the function of such releases. Maybe to get away from a contract?

Anyway, I think 2018 will be the year for King Diamond when considering a new album and maybe a DVD (as a bonus with the new album??).